Maps collected here date from 1564 through the present. The majority of maps in this collection document a colonial past. While many of these maps were originally published as maps independent of any other publication, some were published with atlases, books, government documents, shipping and railroad schedules, land promotions, etc. Maps in this collection include island, municipal, county and parish maps as well as maps depicting the region more broadly.

The Collection is uneven in representation of specific areas as contributions to the Collection reflect the interests of the contributing institutions. Florida, while part of the Caribbean, is collected separately in the Florida Map Collection. Maps in the Caribbean Basin Map Collection include the maps of the Florida Map Collection.

Images are provided here in the JPEG 2000 format in zoomable images.

The Region: The Caribbean Basin

The Caribbean Map Collection outlines a vast inter-continental region. The Caribbean Basin is defined to include the area stretching from Florida westward along the Gulf Coast waters of the United States of America, along the backbone of Central America and across the sholder of northern South America. The Basin is best defined by the sweeping archipelago that is the West Indies, an arm embracing the Caribbean Sea and the sieve of Atlantic hurricanes. Bound by colonial history, Bermuda is encluded within region, though it is situated in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.